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One Really Neat Way To Monetize Yourself Online

by Barbara Ling

Not a week goes by when I'm not asked the following question, "Gee Barbara, everything online sounds so good but I'm just a beginner...how can I actually make the jump to earning online?"

That's an excellent question and one with which I can certainly empathize! The key is realizing that everyone at sometime in their life was a beginner at *something*. Before you ran you walked (unless you were Superman, of course)...and before you walked, you watched everyone and waited until you had the confidence to try it yourself.

That's the key, of course, *try it*. But I'll bet your parents didn't plunk you down in the middle of the freeway rush hour traffic for your first walking try, eh?

'Course not—they gave you a nice warm comfy controlled environment in which to begin.

Making money on the Internet can be approached the same way! Think about the areas in which you are comfortable. I'll bet you're okay with sending e-mail, right? Well, did you know that every time you send an e-mail, you can append a few lines called your signature to your message?

It's true! and it's one of the most overlooked methods for complete newbies to increase their mooola potential. You can become an affiliate at Clickbank or Commission Junction or any of the other affiliate networks that abound, zero in on a product from which you can earn an affiliate commission, and then tag and cloak that link to your outgoing messages.

For example, if you participate in an e-mail group about sports, you can have a cloaked sports affiliate link right below your name. Or if you are feverishly discussing Star Wars, you could take advantage of the free eBay affiliate program and use a signature like:

YOUR NAME
Did you know these cool signed Star Wars goodies existed?
http://www.richhermit.com/help/ssw.html

After all, you're already sending those e-mails... why not just make them profitable for you as well?

Once you've dipped your toe into making money online, via the things you already enjoy anyways, you will get more and more confidence to explore what else awaits you. There are people who make a living online just by blogging about their interests and including affiliate links in their blogs, or by just writing up reviews about products and creating simple websites around them.

Those people tried out what worked for them, and as their confidence grew, their online profits grew as well.

The best aspect of affiliate marketing is that it doesn't have to sell to the "make money on the Internet" population at all. If you can discover a niche, you can make it profitable. And you don't have to go 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds either...you can work at your own pace and your own comfort level.

So there you go—one really neat easy and simple way to start making money on the Internet.

Barbara Ling is the author of over 30 books and e-books on how to make money online, including "Fast Track Power Affiliate Marketing", and an all-round Internet business pioneer. She was featured in The Wall Street Journal and Inc. magazine, and been asked to speak for companies including Deloitte & Touche and Continental Airlines.

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